Kyrgyzstan reported “intense fighting” with Central Asian neighbor Tajikistan on Friday and said 24 people had been killed in the latest outbreak of violence to hit the former Soviet Union.
The two small, impoverished landlocked countries have accused each other of resuming fighting in the disputed area despite a ceasefire agreement.
In a statement, the Kyrgyz border service said its forces were continuing to repel Tajik attacks.
“From the Tajik side, the shelling of the positions of the Kyrgyz side continues, and intense battles are taking place in some areas,” the announcement states.
Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of Health later said 24 citizens had been killed and 87 wounded. He did not say how many of the victims were from the military.
Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of Emergency Situations said more than 136,000 civilians had been evacuated from the conflict zone.
Kyrgyzstan reported fighting in southern Batken province, which borders Tajikistan’s northern Sughd region and contains a Tajik enclave, Vorukh.
The same area is famous for its jigsaw political and ethnic geography and became the site of similar hostilities last year, almost leading to a war as well.
Clashes over the poorly demarcated border are frequent but usually de-escalate quickly.